Police in Florida say a teenage girl died from a violent stabbing at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. A hiker reportedly found Abbriella Elliot dead on a trail in the Cyprus Lakes Preserve on March 27, 2025. She had turned 16 just weeks before. An investigation led to the arrest of 16-year-old Cameron Cubel as the prime suspect in the brutal stabbing death. Her family is now grieving the life of a girl who once had a bright future ahead of her.
Sheriff Al Neinhuis of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Department addressed the media in a news conference, per 10 Tampa Bay. He said, “We could tell pretty quickly that there was a lot of passion and a lot of violence involved in the particular death.” He added, “So we were relatively confident that it wasn’t a random act. It was nothing short of very violent.”
Police pieced the case together quickly “because she did sneak out in the middle of the night to meet with one or more individuals, we are confident that she likely knew the killer,” Nienhuis shared. “This individual and the victim have known each other in the past.”
A witness reportedly told police that Elliot left home in the middle of the night to meet someone. The sheriff said it didn’t take investigators long to determine what happened. “We were relatively confident almost immediately that she went to go meet an individual who was likely the person who killed her.”
According to her obituary, “Abby loved watching movies, hanging out with family and friends, and completely being a goofball, and she had a remarkable ability to pursue her interests with an unwavering enthusiasm. Her love for life was contagious, and she inspired those around her to live life with the same zest and joy she did. Abby’s kindness and caring nature made a profound impact on her community, and her memory will continue to inspire all who knew her.”
Abbriella’s mother, Danyel Caltagirone, created a GoFundMe account to help with her daughter’s final expenses. She surpassed the original $10,000 goal. A memorial service took place April 5.
Caltagirone shared in a Facebook post following her daughter’s death, “God I just want to wake up from this nightmare how can the world have such a psychopath in it they were both so young he didn’t just take her from my family he robbed himself from his family as well but at least they can still talk to him I’ll never be able to talk to my daughter I have to go see a piece of wood or ashes to talk to her this isn’t fair she was an angel literally from heaven just want to crawl in a hole and wake up from this horrible horrible nightmare then we call life, mommy loves you Abby and I will be here every minute for the rest of my life fighting for a domestic violence because nobody deserves what happened to you.”
Fox 13 reported that Cubel has been charged with first-degree murder. Nienhaus said during a news conference that the suspect had a prior battery arrest, indicating he has a history of violence. Because he is a minor, details on that arrest are not public record.
